Fire claims one life in Kansas City

A home fire in Kansas City claimed a man's life early Saturday, a fire department spokesman said.

Fire dispatchers received a call about 2:50 a.m. from the occupant of a house in the 3200 block of Nicholson Avenue, said Joe Vitale, a fire department spokesman. The caller said a man was trapped in a bedroom at the home.

Arriving at the home, crews learned that the man used a wheelchair and was in bed. After extinguishing the fire, which was confined to the bedroom, investigators determined that smoking in bed had caused the blaze, Vitale said.

Ambulance crews took a woman to a hospital for smoke inhalation.

Investigators estimated damage at $5,000 to the structure and $1,000 to the contents.

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